- Audio CD (4 Jun 2007)
- SPARS Code: DDD
- Number of Discs: 2
- Format: Box set
- Label: EMI Classics
- ASIN: B000PKG5CM
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 180,104 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Jubilee Offer: Patriot Classics for £2.50 |
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
marvelous late britten
15 May 2010
Format:Audio CD
britten's operas are a splendid testament to his original musical personality, and his unique talent for putting psychology on display through the music. his manner of handling operatic voices was informed by his experience with other vocal works, from the "war requiem" to the song cycles for tenor and orchestra ("illuminations" and "serenade") to his rowdy masques for boys' chorus and piano ("the golden vanity", "friday afternoons"). he combines the virtues of janacek, berg and puccini, with a power to surprise that is uniquely his own.
like "gloriana", britten's masque in elizabethan style, "a midsummer night's dream" is distinctive for its orchestration, which includes (according to wikipedia): 2 flutes, 1 piccolo, 1 oboe, 1 English horn, 2 clarinets, 1 bassoon, recorders; 2 horns, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone; timpani, triangle, cymbals, tambourine, gong, wood blocks, vibraphone, glockenspiel, xylophone, tamburo, snare drum, tenor drum, bass drum, bells, 2 harps, harpsichord (celesta), and strings -- among all these are instruments played by the singers. britten confects a sparkling and ethereal palette of virtuosic and magical sounds from the various instrumental combinations, usually associating winds and brass with the "mechanicals" (bottom, quince, tubb, etc.), strings with the lovers hermia and helena, and chiming, tinkling percussion with the fairies (tytania, oberon and their crew).
to finish the chemistry he adds a boys' chorus, a spoken part (puck) and a countertenor role (the fairy king oberon), sung by the talented james bowman. (it's become a convenience in modern productions of baroque operas to assign a castrato role to a female mezzosoprano rather than the harder to find male countertenor, so it's a treat to hear bowman put this unique vocal tonality on display.) the libretto is a masterful distillation of shakespeare's characters and key scenes into a 2.5 hour entertainment.
this studio performance by hickox and the london sinfonia is colorful, dramatic, humorous and delightful; the sound stage is well projected, the singers clearly articulate and enact the text, the tempi are well judged and nicely contrasted, and the balance among all performers is beautifully managed.
this is a rerelease of the original edition of this opera (posted on amazon as ASIN B000002SRR). i own the original, so i can't comment on the booklet that may be included with the rerelease.
like "gloriana", britten's masque in elizabethan style, "a midsummer night's dream" is distinctive for its orchestration, which includes (according to wikipedia): 2 flutes, 1 piccolo, 1 oboe, 1 English horn, 2 clarinets, 1 bassoon, recorders; 2 horns, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone; timpani, triangle, cymbals, tambourine, gong, wood blocks, vibraphone, glockenspiel, xylophone, tamburo, snare drum, tenor drum, bass drum, bells, 2 harps, harpsichord (celesta), and strings -- among all these are instruments played by the singers. britten confects a sparkling and ethereal palette of virtuosic and magical sounds from the various instrumental combinations, usually associating winds and brass with the "mechanicals" (bottom, quince, tubb, etc.), strings with the lovers hermia and helena, and chiming, tinkling percussion with the fairies (tytania, oberon and their crew).
to finish the chemistry he adds a boys' chorus, a spoken part (puck) and a countertenor role (the fairy king oberon), sung by the talented james bowman. (it's become a convenience in modern productions of baroque operas to assign a castrato role to a female mezzosoprano rather than the harder to find male countertenor, so it's a treat to hear bowman put this unique vocal tonality on display.) the libretto is a masterful distillation of shakespeare's characters and key scenes into a 2.5 hour entertainment.
this studio performance by hickox and the london sinfonia is colorful, dramatic, humorous and delightful; the sound stage is well projected, the singers clearly articulate and enact the text, the tempi are well judged and nicely contrasted, and the balance among all performers is beautifully managed.
this is a rerelease of the original edition of this opera (posted on amazon as ASIN B000002SRR). i own the original, so i can't comment on the booklet that may be included with the rerelease.
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